Tanabata Night
by OffCenterFold
Summary: This is a little one shot based entirely on episode 66 of the anime.  The joys of filler episodes...  Summary of the episode within; the story takes place after the episode.  SanoMeg.


**Tanabata**

[AN] I've been rewatching the anime (the official release with all its painful translations, sigh) and while unable to sleep, watched episode 66. Now, I'm not a huge KenKao fan, personally. But this episode totally ignored Megumi's existence (much to my dismay)... so I expanded on it a bit. At the very end of the episode, as the closing theme begins to play, we see little scenes with Kenshin and Kaoru, and of Yahiko and Tsubame... Then Sano says something about getting checked out. We all know where he's headed... [/AN]

His mind made up, Sagara Sanosuke left the Akabeko with a grin. Tae was a nice person but she was a bit pushy even for him. This Tanabata, he had a certain raven-haired doctor he wanted to see. Hands in his pockets, he started down the road. Kenshin and Kaoru probably wouldn't want him around anyway, he figured, and he'd seen Yahiko giving Tsubame flowers behind the restaurant. The grin melted into a smirk.

The thought of bringing flowers – or anything, for that matter – never crossed his mind.

When he arrived, the clinic proper was dark, but he could hear the voices of the little girls out in the yard by their living quarters. He made his way over to see them looking up at the stars, his granddaughters pestering the old man to tell them about the "fireflies in heaven".

Genzai laughed. "You know perfectly well that the stars are not fireflies. Oh, Sano, is everything all right?"

"Oiy," the tall young man greeted them.

"Sanoniisan! Did you come to play with us?"

"Yes, please play with us!"

Sanosuke scratched the back of his neck. "Actually, I came to get my hand looked at," he said, suddenly embarrassed.

A knowing gleam came into the old doctor's eye. "You'll find Megumisan inside. She might appreciate some help cleaning up from dinner," he hinted.

"You mean I missed dinner?" Sano moaned.

Oguni Genzai sighed, hoping the boy wasn't truly that brazen or beggarly... As Sano went inside, he smiled at his granddaughters.

When Sagara Sanosuke entered the main room, however, Takani Megumi was nowhere in sight. "Hm? That's odd," he mused aloud. He began to wander about the building. The third room he checked was apparently her room; he could tell because she was standing there, hanging up the blue michiyuki jacket he rarely saw her without when off duty.

"Oiy, Kitsune," he started. "I thought I should come by to see you. You'll never believe what happened today. Could you take a look at my hand?"

At first she was surprised to see him. At his first words, she experienced an odd mix of disappointment and pleasure: he had come to see her on Tanabata night! But... he wasn't Kensan. And he probably hadn't brought her anything...

But by the time he finished speaking, she was back on familiar emotional ground with him. Exasperation filled her voice as she stared at him. "Do you really think that tonight of all nights, I have nothing better to do than look at your stupid hand? Look around, tori-atama, and admit the possibility that I might have other plans!"

Startled – he hadn't considered the possibility, actually – he looked around the room.

Three futons were neatly folded. Two were clearly the little girls', and one side of the room was decorated to suit their childish tastes. The other side, however, seemed to be done up with a more elegant touch, although it was hard to tell. Every possible surface was covered with flowers. There were arrangements ranging from scraggly bunches of wildflowers to elaborate bouquets of obviously imported exotic blooms. Suddenly he felt a little insecure.

"At least before ya go?" he said, a little sheepishly, holding up the bandaged appendage.

She wasn't about to tell him she had turned down every invitation that evening, holding a certain hope in her heart... "Oh, all right, but quickly."

Sano led the way into the clinic; even he wasn't about to stay in her room with her. He wasn't that uncouth! Also, all those flowers made him nervous. Maybe he should have brought her something. ~Then again, if I'd brought flowers, they'd just get lost in the middle of everyone else's.~ "Yeah, you'll never believe what happened today at the dojo." As she unwrapped the bandages and examined his hand, he began to tell her about Kenshin's early morning fishing expedition, Tae's hanging around all day, how he and Yahiko had been buttering Kaoru up, and how she'd gone completely off her rocker. And how she'd then gone over the edge when she'd found out what they were really after, although she should not have been surprised to learn that Yahiko had broken a vase, or that Sano was after a loan.

And then he got to the part where Kenshin had found a ring in the catfish he'd caught. And Tae had told him he must give it to Kaoru. Then she'd pushed him, and how the ring hand landed perfectly on Kaoru's finger while the redhead lay completely out of it in a corner...

He was so wrapped up in the story, snickering at the abuse his friend had taken, that he didn't notice how quiet Megumi had gotten. Her movements had slowed and her eyes, still on his hand in her own, were sorrowful.

"And all day she's been in such a daze, actin' all weird. I figured I'd go see if I could catch somethin' else. Did you know jouchan hates catfish?" He snickered again at the memory of how she'd freaked out, scrabbling backwards in dismayed shock.

"I see," she said softly, her eyes still on his hand. Now her subdued tone seemed to register with him, and he watched he as he continued his story.

"And that's when I found this kid about to jump into the river." Sanosuke snorted his disgust. "Seems as how he'd seen his girl out walkin' with some other guy and read it wrong. Turns out he was a childhood friend she hadn't seen in ten years. But by the time he found that out, he'd already thrown the ring in the river. Did you ever hear of such a stupid thing?"

"As throwing a ring in a river?"

"Apparently, he was gonna give it to her as a way of asking her to marry him. Ever hear of such a stupid thing? An engagement ring?" His tone derisive, he pretended not to watch her.

"It's a Western custom," she said softly.

"Huh. Why is it all the girls know about it and none of us guys?" When she didn't reply with her usual flippancy about how they were all stupid, he began to worry in earnest. ~She still thinks Kenshin gave Jouchan that ring on purpose,~ he realized. "Anyway, I asked the kid what it looked like... And he said it was a sapphire, for her birthstone. Must be another Western thing. Well, if that didn't sound like a familiar description... I told him not to move, and ran right back to the dojo.

"You shoulda been there!" He laughed again. "The look on Kenshin's face, when he found out about the ring... Priceless! Man, I thought the news alone killed him!"

Megumi had stopped even pretending to examine his hand at that point. She simply sat, eyes lowered to her hands folded on her lap.

"Oiy, don't look like that." Sano studied his hand again, without the bandages. It looked okay to him, but it was still pretty sore. He knew that she was still under the impression that Kenshin had given the ring to Kaoru with the intention of asking her to marry him. He sighed; time to clear that up, if only because he couldn't bear to see Megumi looking so... lost.

"Kitsune, you'd never believe it. Kenshin can kick ass sixty times before you or I could even blink, but when I told him what the ring was for, and why Jouchan seemed to be all weird about it, he totally wigged out. You'd think he was poisoned." He began to snicker again. "The look on his face..." Now he tried to imitate the expression Kenshin had worn for several hours, in a state of total shock and dismay... "I swear, he was totally blue in the face. He had no idea that jouchan thought he had asked her to ma- to marry him! As soon as he did, he freaked." Suddenly he turned serious. "He had no idea. It definitely was not what he intended."

Though she didn't look up, Megumi took his hand in her own again and resumed flexing his fingers.

~Of course Kensan wouldn't do that to me. He would never make that sort of commitment without telling me first. He would never hurt me like that.~ She was only half listening to Sano as he recounted the myriad ways they'd tried to get the ring back. Everything from pampering her to searching the bath, to plying her with beer...

"Wait," Megumi said, looking up at last, her eyes now full of anticipation. "You gave Kaoruchan beer?" Her heart lightened, Megumi allowed her incredulity to show. "Did you all completely forget how violent she gets when she drinks?"

"She's violent to start with," Sanosuke grumbled. He had the grace, at least, to look embarrassed, and he admitted that they had – until reminded rather forcefully.

"You know how they say the truth will set you free?" he asked. "Well, it's true. Kenshin couldn't take it any more and told her about the guy and the whole story with him not knowing what it was... And she went as catatonic as he did. And then she decked him, clear through the wall! And THEN the ring fell off!"

At that Megumi raised her eyes to him again, and her expression was hard to read. ~Damn it, Kitsune. It's not that I didn't see how it hurt you when you heard he gave her a ring. It's just... I didn't wanna see it. I don't want you to look that sad over him.~

"Well, anyway, I gave the guy his ring back and he gave it to his girl, so now they're goin' to get married. And as for the rest of it, well, nothin's changed." He shrugged and rose, studying his now-rebandaged hand. "So I guess I'll be goin', then."

The flash of disappointment gratified him.

She stood up quickly. "Well, that's good then. Now I can resume my plans for the evening."

It was his turn to hide his disappointment. "Is the guy comin' to meet you here at least?"

Megumi shrugged nonchalantly. "No," she admitted. "I was going out."

"You shouldn't walk alone," he said a little awkwardly.

"I'll be fine," she replied with a toss of her hair.

"I'm walkin' with you and that's that."

She shrugged again. "If you must." She led the way back to the yard where she bid the girls a good night and promised Genzaisensei that she wouldn't be out too late.

"Take your time, Megumikun," he grinned.

"We'll see," was all she said as she turned and walked out, Sanosuke a few steps behind her.

Ayame watched them go. Looking at her older sister and her grandfather, Sanosuke faintly heard her as she asked, "Is Sanoniisan gonna ask Megumineesan to marry him?"

Since Megumi didn't react, Sanosuke decided not to either. He was glad she was walking ahead of him, though, so she wouldn't see how reddened his face felt.

They walked in silence until tey reached the riverbank, a quiet place where a few fireflies drifted lazily around them. No one else was there. A few other couples and groups gathered a little farther on, but Sanosuke was surprised that no one was waiting for Megumi. "Looks like the jerk is late," he finally said.

Megumi seemed unconcerned. "It's all right."

He looked at her, taken aback. ~That doesn't sound like the kitsune I know. If it were me, she'd've beaten me into next week.~ "I ain't leavin' ya alone. It ain't right to keep a woman waiting. Even if she is a Kitsune."

She sighed. "You almost said something nice. But you did a very good job of fixing that." She glared at him.

He stared back at her. "I always say somethin' nice."

"Hm." She sat down on the grass, looking up at the stars. He leaned against a tree. Many more moments passed.

He was surprised at how relaxed Megumi seemed. She wasn't always the most patient of people, and being stood up was never the way to win a woman's heart, so he didn't understand why she was so calm.

"So who is this jerk anyway?"

"What jerk?" Megumi asked distractedly.

"The jerk who doesn't look like he's gonna show," Sano growled.

Her amusement irritated him further. "Baka," she said softly.

"Yeah, he is. And I'm gonna bust his head in if he ever shows up."

"And if he doesn't even bring me a gift?" she asked mildly

"Yeah. Only a real jerk wouldn't give someone special a gift," he said without thinking.

"So where is it?" she asked in the same mild tone.

"Where's what?" Thoroughly bewildered, he looked at the woman before him, beautiful and pale in the moonlight.

"Baka," she said again, not smiling this time, and turned away.

~Oh. Oh CRAP. She's right, I am an idiot.~ He fumbled in his pockets, but all he could find was his dice. He studied them for a long moment. He sighed.

They landed right in front of her. Double sixes, he noticed.

"What's this?" Megumi wondered, picking up the small ivory cubes. "Your gambling dice? What on earth could I possibly do with these?" she demanded, her expression incredulous as she turned back to him.

Hands back in his pockets, he shrugged. "I'll stop gambling, on one condition," he said.

"What's that?"

"Forget about this jerk."

"It isn't that easy, Sanosuke." Again, her voice sounded funny to him. She stood up.

"Don't be stupid," he snapped/ "Any guy that treats you this badly... Not even showin' up!"

"Baka," she said again. "I turned them all down."

Now it was his turn to stare at her in bewilderment. "You what?"

"I wasn't supposed to meet anyone here tonight."

"You weren't?"

"No." She sighed, her patience wearing thin.

"Then why did you – oh..." he said. "Heh. Yeah. That's... That's really a dumb jerk you like, huh." The embarrassed grin was tinged with a little bit of an odd sort of pride.

"Yes," she agreed, a gentle note in her voice, although he couldn't see her tolerant smile. "A very dumb jerk."

_-Owari-_


End file.
